NFL champions Seattle Seahawks sold to Khosla Group for record $9.6 billion

By Reuters and The Associated Press. Published On 27 Aug 202627 Aug 2026.

Key points

• Paul Allen purchased the Seahawks for $194 million from Ken Behring in 1997 and assisted keep the team in Seattle.
• The Washington Commanders were sold for approximately $6 billion in 2023 to a group headed by Josh Harris.
• Vinod Khosla remarked he was first a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers when he moved to the United States in 1976.
• Khosla, born in Pune, India, is the cofounder of Sun Microsystems and founder of the venture capital firm, Khosla Ventures.
• The sales agreement was confirmed on July 11 and awaited approval at a special gathering of the owners in Atlanta on Wednesday to become official.

Notably, the owners of the National Football League (NFL) in the United States have unanimously approved the sale of the Seattle Seahawks for a league-record cost of $9.6bn to a group led by the Khosla family.

For context, the sales agreement was confirmed on July 11 and awaited approval at a special gathering of the owners in Atlanta on Wednesday to become official. The sale was in accordance with the wishes of the late team owner, Paul Allen.

At least 24 of 32 owners were required to approve the sale. It was projected after the NFL's finance and ownership policy committees voted unanimously last week to recommend ratification.

"How often do you get to buy a franchise that just won the Super Bowl?" remarked the multi-billionaire businessman Vinod Khosla, standing with his coowners, wife Neeru and son Neal. "We are incredibly lucky and humbled by this gift, I would say, from the Allen trust."

"The task ahead is actually pretty simple, " Vinod Khosla remarked after the vote. "Keep the winning streak alive. Obtain another Super Bowl. That's simple. In general, our approach is generally going to be long-term focused. That's our inclination always. So keep winning, take a long-term approach, and learn a lot."

In practice, the estate of Paul G. Allen, which inherited the NFL team after his death in 2018, agreed to terms with the Khosla family after a search for a new owner. Allen's will stipulated that the team be sold and assets be distributed to various charities.

Meanwhile, the cost tag is an NFL record for a franchise sale. As Bob Iger and Josh Kushner plan to purchase a majority stake in the NBA team from Mark Walter, it is the second-highest valuation in North American sports history; the Los Angeles Lakers sold for $10 billion last year and were more lately valued at $12.5 billion.

For context, the Washington Commanders were sold for approximately $6 billion in 2023 to a group headed by Josh Harris.

Paul Allen purchased the Seahawks for $194 million from Ken Behring in 1997 and assisted keep the team in Seattle. Allen, cofounder of Microsoft, additionally owned the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, with his sister Jody Allen assuming duties as owner for the estate.

Vinod Khosla thanked Jody Allen and the Allen Trust "for trusting us with this franchise".

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell remarked the family's experience with the 49ers was attractive to other NFL owners.

"They know our league well, " Goodell remarked. "As you know, they have been in ownership in the NFC West with the San Francisco 49ers. They understand the passion of the NFL, they understand the 12s, they understand this Seattle community and the NFL. And so that makes this transaction particularly attractive to all of us." Who is Vinod Khosla?

For context, the 71-year-old is a venture capitalist and a limited partner of the San Francisco 49ers – buying 3.1 percent of the franchise last year at a more than $8.5 billion valuation, according to the ESPN network.

As the transaction could close before the defending Super Bowl champions open the season on September 9 against the New England Patriots, the team they defeated 29-13 in February for the title, he will have to relinquish his stake in that team as part of the agreement to purchase the Seahawks.

Khosla, born in Pune, India, is the cofounder of Sun Microsystems and founder of the venture capital firm, Khosla Ventures. Neeru Khosla, who additionally was born in India and met Vinod when they were children, will be the controlling owner, according to The Athletic. It notes their son, Neal, is anticipated to have a major role in the organisation.

"We've been very passionate about football for a long time, " he remarked. "I would say we've been going to home games at the 49ers since was five, maybe half of all home games since he was five. And so football is definitely a passion. I was originally and still am a major Steelers fan. Little known fact, but I still watch all the Steelers games, too."

For now, NFL champions Seattle Seahawks sold to Khosla Group for record $9.6 billion remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.